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March of the Habsborg

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J.P.: Yep, and they did a decent job fighting back, too. I was unable to fight in India, Africa, America, and Europe simultaneously with my meager army ;-), so I had to withdraw from other areas to consolidate forces in Europe.

Machy: Admittedly, the chapter titles don't leave much to the imagination, but the opportunity to plunder from L. Ron Hubbard is just too tempting.

Zenek K.: You've not long to wait; the next chapter will be posted tonight. Resistance is futile!
 
March of the Habsborg
Chapter 12 - Villainy Victorious​

Somewhere in Tennessee
June 15, 1682

Chief Squats Near Others' Tents, for whose name we shall eschew utilizing the obvious abbreviation, was squatting near the tent of his brother, Throws Like Girl. They were trying to prepare for the continued defense of the Cherokee nation.

"Do you think the snakefaces will attack us, brother?" asked the Chief.

"I do not see how they cannot, for if they do not attack us, they risk losing vital trade money."

"Mmm. Money. The weakness of all palefaces." Native American wisdom, at its best.

"How do you suppose our Lenape brothers -" began Throws Like Girl. He was interrupted by the Chief, who held up his hand and gestured to his brother's rear. There, coming up the trail to meet them, was the runner sent earlier that morning to scout out the Borg's position.

"It is our runner," noted the Chief.

"Curiously," observed Throws Like Girl, "he is not running."

"Mmm. He is ambling. Curious." The ambler continued up the trail toward the Chief and his brother. Then, the Chief saw why the man was not running. "He is a snakeface!"

Throws Like Girl launched his tomahawk, for once not living up to his name, and hit the drone square between the eyes. It dropped to the ground like a sack of doorknobs. The men ran up to the body to inspect it.

Hearing the continued operation of its breathing apparatus, Throws Like Girl commented, "Perhaps it is not yet finished?"

There was a rustling behind the men. Whirling around, they saw four drones approaching them. "More snakefaces!" yelled the Chief. They started to back away, then heard more rustling from the opposite direction. Throws Like Girl turned and saw six more drones. They were surrounded!

The drone that was lying on the ground grabbed the Chief's ankle. The Chief screamed.

"We shall add your distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile."

---

While the Cherokee were the first victims of the Borg offensive in North America, they certainly weren't the last. Over 100,000 drones invaded the continent's eastern coast in 1682, and the hapless Cherokee barely lasted a year. In November of 1683 the Lenape were overrun, and by Christmas Eve the Iroquois had also fallen. The Shawnee and Huron held out for another year, but they too succumbed to the Borg's insatiable lust for conquest. Meanwhile, in Europe, the capital of the Rhine Palatinate, Mainz, fell to the Borg after a bloody assault. Irish resistance collapsed around the same time, leaving only the Scots to contest Borg supremacy in the British Isles. But not even the shock weapon known as bagpipes could stop the Borg; while initial waves of drones were incapacitated by the overload of their auditory processors, the Borg quickly adapted software filters to cancel out the effects of the horrific noise. As a result, the Scots were driven back to their capital in Lothian.

The only front on which the Borg were truly stopped was Scandinavia. After successfully taking Jylland, the collective's armies were repulsed by the stoic Danes, thus saving their capital from occupation. Alas, the Danes' attempt to relieve Oldenburg was not as successful, and the minor principality was absorbed by the Borg in September of 1692. The following year, Scottish resistance petered out, and humanity's chances were looking very bleak.

---

Venetian War Room
December 31, 1699

Doge Sylvester Valiero was surveying the situational map of Europe with a sour look on his face. "What about Italia?"

"There are only light forces in the south, sir. Enough to keep our forces from leaving Venice and take Romagna from the Milanos, but not to do much else. Most of the Borg's forces appear to be concentrated in Scandinavia," responded Admiral Riva.

"How are the Danes holding out?"

"Not well, Doge. The latest reports have them ready to evacuate the continent to their possessions in the Caribbean and Africa."

"Damn! Have the Portuguese managed to repel the invasion of their homeland?"

"No, sir. But there is even worse news from Lisbon."

Wearing an incredulous look, the Doge asked, "What could possibly be worse than our most powerful ally being unable to defend their home provinces?!"

In a low voice, Riva answered, "Doge, the Portuguese report that they have lost contact with their Brazilian colonies. They fear that the Borg have taken over the coastal areas."

Valiero sat down in a chair and let his head drop onto the table with a satisfying thunk. "What of the Ottomans?"

Riva cleared his throat theatrically. "Um, yes ... well, the Turk seems to downing a bit too much sira these days, and is frittering away his forces by continually invading the British Isles and the Americas, despite the fact that he shares a land border with the enemy."

The Doge leapt up from his chair, sending it crashing to the floor behind him. "GRRRAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHH!!! Are we fielding the only competent army on the planet?!?" Valiero grabbed the front of Riva's coat. "Sail immediately for Sweden. Meet with Karl XII and coordinate their resistance. We must stop the enemy's advance on at least one front!"

"At once, Doge!" And with a salute, Riva hurried out to prepare his fleet.


Will Riva arrive in time to save Sweden?
Read March of the Habsborg, Chapter 13 - Traditore to find out!


Extent of Borg Advance, 1700:
Europe:
Screen117.jpg

America:
MapNA1700.jpg
 
The Borg have a secret weapon: the Incompetence Enhancer. When turned on and tuned properly, it exerts a field which finds those people it is tuned to, and magnifies any of their faults to an extent as to make them incompetent. The Borg seem to have neglected tuning it to the frequency of the Venetians, but unfortunately all other humans are affected.

:D

Looks like humanity is not doing so well. :(
 
Ah! That's it! Now that the Borg are impervious to bagpipes all hope is lost! I can even now hear the lone piper out on the hills playing a lament for Planet Earth - and what are those curious things sticking up from his instrument? DRONES!!! Aaaurghhhh!
 
(Great: internet problems, just lost a page of writing :mad:Therefore, the reply will be less long and warm than it was originally intended)
Haven't been here for such a long time (June), and really thought this AAR was dead, until I saw it this evening. I spent the latter reading it, and got entranced once more.
Are you still in a rush to finish this or is that court thing over...?

I just noticed (15 minutes ago by now:mad: ;)) that venice is really small...Are the cyclades a part of turkey or venice?

Hope humanity wins :D
Really great to be back! Keep it up!

Th :rofl:

EDIT: I would've posted this yesterday, but connection problems conspired against me :p
 
J.P.: No, they're not doing well, but humanity still has a trick or two up its sleeve ... ;)

Farquharson: Borg bagpipers? Borgpipers?! :D

AmbassadeBelgie: My jury term was already over when I mentioned it ... I was merely whining. :) I was never really in a rush to finish, but I think I at least owe it to the readers to finish this thing up without any more long delays between installments. Venice was reduced to Veneto, Ionia, and Cyprus by the Ottomans many, many years ago, and that's what they still hold in 1700. It's damn annoying when a fairly wealthy AI holds island provinces, by the way ...

Rythin: Poland has been a Habsborg vassal for quite some time. All that stability on her western border has turned Poland into quite the little warmonger. Naturally, I cackled with glee as the Poles sytematically swallowed up all those army-killing provinces in East Europe - it only made the Borg's job easier. :D
 
Either way, impatiently awaiting next update :D Keep it up!!!
(Oh, and DON'T rush the end :))
 
Neither armies, nor bagpipes could stop the Borg. So maybe the cold of the north will do it? :)
Really impressive Poland, diploannexing them, I mean adding them to the Collective would be great. :D
 
AmbassadeBelgie: Fear not, I've no intention of rushing anything.

Heretic: Aw c'mon ... Descartes before the hoarse ... that's a double pun. That's clever stuff. (Well, maybe not. :D)

Zenek: As shall be seen in the next installment, the cold northern weather will provide a bit of an impediment. But the real monkeywrench will come from another source ...
 
March of the Habsborg
Chapter 13 - Traditore​

Helsinki
April 13, 1700

Sailing at a pretty good clip for a wind-powered fleet, Riva's tender reached Stockholm in March. A survey of the city from the harbor revealed that it was under Borg occupation, so Riva gave the order to sail for Finland in the hopes that Karl XII had managed to turn back the enemy. He was recognized immediately upon his arrival, and was whisked away by carriage to the camp of Karl XII. AFter the usual exchange of pleasantries, the men sat down to review the situation.

"As you can see, Admiral, our cause is not yet lost," began Karl. "While we remain cutoff from Stockholm, our front line with the enemy is quite short, consisting as it does of the border of Osterbotten. Thanks to your fleet, we've no fear of a seaborne invasion, so we can concentrate all of our troops on the defense of Savolaks and Tavastland."

"Any sign of enemy troops moving to attack?" asked Riva.

"As a matter of fact, yes ... this morning I received word that the Borg are moving to attack Tavastland. I was about to ride there to coordinate the provinical defenses when I was told that you had arrived."

"Well I certainly don't wish to keep you out of the field of battle."

"Surely not. But before I go, I'm going to give you a field commission." Karl began writing on a piece of royalish paper. "I want you to ride to Savolaks and take command of our defenses there."

"I shall be honored to do so," said Riva, taking the commission from Karl before speeding out of the tent. As he left, he heard the king's voice behind him.

"Don't trust anyone, Admiral!"


Savolaks
March 26, 1705

For five years now, Swedish and Borg forces had fought an indecisive, flowing battle across the countryside of Finland. A successful attack would result in a siege that would be subject to a counterattack that was often successful, as well. The fighting was mainly contained within the provinces of Osterbotten, Savolaks, and Tavastland. With no end to the struggle in sight, Admiral Riva strode out of his tent, as he did every morning, to see if the dawn brought signs of a Borg advance. He was shortly joined by his assistant, Tuomo.

"Still nothing, Admiral. I tell you, these bastards are smart. They know enough to attack right when the weather turns, so they won't be swallowed up by the snow the way so many of our men are ... hmm, what's that?"

"Let me see," said Riva, gesturing for the field glass in Tuomo's hand. Riva looked through the glass at the area where Tuomo was pointing to and saw a standard bearer with several more riders behind it. "My god, that looks like Jean-Luc Picard!"

"I thought he was dead," said Tuomo, wearing a look of consternation.

"He certainly ought to be, unless he's found the fountain of youth." Riva thought for a moment. "He must have been captured by the Borg and assimilated. He's only got a few guards with him. Send out a cavalry detachment to ride him down and kill him."

"But Admiral, why would he ride into our camp with such a small guard?" asked Tuomo.

"Hmm. You make a good point." Riva thought for a moment. "Very well, let them enter the camp. But I want at least a hundred men nearby."

An hour later, the strange delegation of Borg was in Riva's tent. By Riva's request, there were three men for every Borg present at all times. Riva broke the ice. "So, Marshal Picard ... what brings you to my camp?"

"Picard is no more. I am Prinzeugen of Borg."

"Very well. And why are you here?"

"We wish to know why you resist us."

"We resist you because you seek to enslave us."

"We do not enslave. We assimilate. By assimilation we seek to better ourselves by adding the distinctiveness of other races to our own. By combining the artificial with the organic, we achieve a state of perfection. Why do you resist perfection?"

"What you are is not perfection, it is evil. And we shall resist you - "

Prinzeugen cut him off. "Resistance is futile."

"It is not. God is on our side."

"There is no God."

Riva didn't have a reply for that one. At that moment, a lookout entered the tent. "Admiral! The king's army is approaching."

"What?! Are you sure?"

"Yes sir, his banner is clearly visible."

Riva's mind whirled. "But why would Karl move his forces from Tavastland? He must have ..." Riva's voice trailed off as his gaze fell upon the drone that once was Picard. "Oh, no ..."

"Resistance is futile."


The stunning betrayal of Karl XII allowed the Borg to overrun Finland in less than a year's time. Their forces in the north paused at that point while combat strength was sent overseas to erase the last vestiges of the overseas possessions of Denmark and Portugal. In 1713 they resumed their advance, and by 1721 the collective had gained control of most of northern Russia and annexed Novgorod.

In 1723, a most ominous event occurred. The collective assumed direct control over the people and armies of France, increasing the number of troops under its control by a quarter of a million. Several provinces in India were also gained. This would be of great importance, given that the Great Mogul had recently taken on Sibir as a vassal state, to allow for greater coordination of Islam's armies in the fight against the Borg.

The completion of Spain's assimilation in 1730 was a even bigger disaster for humanity. In addition to adding numerous overseas territories to the Borg empire, it brought the collective's total forces to over 800,000 battle drones and 400 sailing cubes. With the Christian world almost completely assimilated, it seemed nothing could stand against the inexorable march of the Borg.


Has humanity breathed its last?
Read March of the Habsborg, Chapter 14 - Sword of Allah to find out!

Extent of Borg Advance in Europe, 1730:
Screen144.jpg
 
I know Gigantic Poland has been already assimilated.
But how did they manage to grow so big & fat?
 
Great AAR!

While it's clear the Borg will have assimilated all of humanity (or at least a decisive part) by 1819, I wonder how the story will unfold... Will they capture Prinzeugen of Borg and issue the "sleep" command through him to all the borg, effectevily shutting them down? Or will Daniels and the Temporal Agents intervene on the behalf of Earth? Let's see...
 
I don't think the story will last until 1819 but imagine what the map would be like with Poland perfectly annexed??? Beautiful white, long livethe Borg (euhhh...I mean "humanity" ;))

Awaiting with impossible impatience for the rest :p

Th :rofl:

P.S. Yeah I also think The Turks will be of interest in this war waged against all:D
 
Rythin: The next chapter may take a few days. It will deal with the Borg's fight against the Islamic world, which includes one of the most spectacular AI overachievers I have ever seen. As a result, it will be rather long, and will also contain some pretty amusing screenies.

J.P.: Ryazan belongs to the Borg. The only other white nation on that map is Ak Koyunlu, who is doing quite well thanks to the lack of success of the Persian rebellion.

Hastu Neon: Poland is so large because it has been a Borg (Austrian) vassal for a looooong time. With her western border nice and quiet, Poland has been able to concentrate on beating up the hapless AI Russia, which was doing pretty well until it suffered a governmental collapse. Damn rebels.

Sapphire: Thanks. But your characterization of the Ottomans gives them far too much credit. Aside from the persistant nuisance attacks on NA and Britain mentioned a few chapters ago, they've been quite the paper tiger.

Grundius: A little pessimistic, aren't you? I mean, conquering all of Asia in less than 90 years would be quite a feat, even for the Borg. ;)
 
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